ORLANDO, Fla. – Downtown Orlando resident Rose Davison said she’s been dealing with severe flooding in her backyard following recent rainfall.
“I can’t look anymore because I’m 87 years old, and this has broken my heart. I’ve put every dime I had into making this house beautiful, and it’s ruined,” Davison said.
Davison estimates the flooding has caused potentially thousands of dollars in damage to her property.
A few miles away near West Winter Park Street and Oberlin Avenue, Monday’s afternoon storms caused flash flooding that left vehicles stranded. One driver described floodwaters that overtook her vehicle as she attempted to drive through.
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Wadeview Park resident Stephen Harrison spoke at the Orlando City Council meeting, addressing concerns related to flooding to his home that occurred on Sept. 1.
Harrison is concerned that a $13 million road construction project along Delaney Avenue is exacerbating drainage issues.
“We haven’t slept in days,” Harrison said. “The first few days, we didn’t sleep, just trying to get through everything.”
After the meeting, Orlando District Four City Commissioner Patty Sheehan stated that public works officials have determined the construction project did not contribute to the flooding at Harrison’s property.
“I understand they are frustrated and allowed to be angry,” Sheehan said. “They had significant damage to their home, but our public works division doesn’t agree that construction was the cause.”
According to Sheehan, city engineers have assessed that the drainage pipes are designed to handle about 2 inches of rain per hour. However, on Sept. 1, 7 inches of rain fell within a single hour, overwhelming the system.
Davison and her neighbors are concerned that the problem will worsen until larger drainage pipes are constructed.
“I’m a widow, I’m by myself, living on a limited income of social security and a small pension, and I don’t have the money to take care of something like this,” Davison said. “I have called the city, I’ve asked them, I’ve said we need help.”
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